The health benefits of coffee

Ah, coffee, my coffee. That magical elixir that not only starts my morning, but also fuels my passion to produce it better and more complexly every day. To enjoy the true culinary aspects of the drink. To tinker, to toil, to experiment, to try and try everything over again.

If you're like me, you probably don't associate coffee with anything other than how to make it and how to drink it. But coffee is so much more than that. It's the most complex food in the world (I have an article about that coming up soon!), and with that information comes the impact of the effects coffee has on our bodies. And just like always, whenever new health benefits are discovered about coffee, there are also some potential harms.

I did a little in-depth research (with some quotes at the end if you want to read for yourself) to see where we are in the last twelve months in terms of the latest research and studies on coffee and health. For the most part, science is finding more and more joy and benefits from our daily cup of coffee. Especially when it comes to your brain, heart, and blood sugar. Let’s dive in a little.

BRAIN POWER IN EVERY CUP

Besides waking us up and keeping our brains humming along nicely throughout the day, coffee also takes care of the gray matter behind our eyeballs.

Recent studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption may help protect against cognitive decline and those dreaded neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's 1 . Rather than simply boosting alertness and improving blood flow, coffee appears to have a more direct impact on brain health, potentially reducing the risk of these serious conditions.

One study even found that increasing your coffee intake from one to two cups a day can lead to an 8% reduction in “executive function decline”—basically, your brain’s ability to plan, focus, and remember things. 2 Who needs brain games when you’re drinking coffee, right? But before you start drinking espresso like water, there’s a catch. A 2023 study found that regular caffeine users may experience reduced “brain plasticity,” which is your brain’s ability to change and adapt. 3 This can affect learning and memory. More research is needed to fully understand how caffeine affects brain plasticity in the long term, and it’s worth noting that some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. 4 If you find yourself feeling anxious, jittery, or having trouble sleeping after coffee, it could be a sign to cut back on your daily dose.

COFFEE AND DIABETES: A SWEET SURPRISE

For those of you who have diabetes or are concerned about developing it, here’s some good news. Studies show that coffee can actually help regulate blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes 5 . This may be due to coffee’s ability to improve insulin sensitivity, meaning your body can use insulin more effectively to control blood sugar 6 .

However, it’s important to remember that caffeine can affect blood sugar levels differently in different people. While some studies have shown a positive effect in healthy people, others suggest that caffeine can temporarily raise blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes 7 .

If you have diabetes, it's best not to take advice from some anonymous blogger, but instead talk to your doctor about how coffee can affect your blood sugar and how much you should drink. Since this is a very serious matter, and I've been careful to include all my sources below on this topic, but yes, talk to your doctor!

On an interesting side note, some studies have shown that decaffeinated coffee may offer similar benefits, suggesting that other compounds in coffee besides caffeine may contribute to these positive effects. 8

A HEALTHY HEART IN EVERY SIP

More research has come out showing that moderate coffee consumption may also be beneficial for your heart health 9 . It appears that coffee’s antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties may play a protective role here 10 .

Even more intriguingly, a study this year found that moderate coffee and caffeine consumption may protect against the development of a number of cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. 11 This suggests that your daily coffee habit may have broader benefits for your overall metabolic health. I fully support this.

There is a caveat, however, for those with severe hypertension (high blood pressure). A 2022 study found that drinking two or more cups of coffee a day may increase the risk of heart disease in this group. 12 If you have high blood pressure, it's important to talk to your doctor about coffee consumption. And just like with diabetes, decaffeinated coffee may also offer some heart health benefits.

COFFEE, LIVER HEALTH AND CANCER PROTECTION

In addition to its benefits for your brain, heart, and blood sugar, coffee may offer some protection against certain types of cancer. Research shows that higher coffee consumption is linked to lower rates of colon, rectal, breast, and endometrial cancer 13 . While more research is needed to fully understand this connection, it’s another potential benefit to add to the growing list of coffee health benefits.

Your liver may thank you for that cup of coffee, too! Some studies have shown that coffee may support liver health and protect against liver disease 14 . This may be due to coffee’s ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can contribute to liver damage. While more research is needed in this area, this is yet another reason to feel good about your coffee habit.

THE BOTTOM LINE: ENJOY YOUR COFFEE, BUT CONSUME IT IN A BALANCED MANNER!

So what's the takeaway from all this coffee talk? It seems that moderate coffee consumption—about three to four cups a day for most adults—may offer a number of health benefits, from boosting brain power and protecting your heart to potentially reducing your risk of diabetes and certain cancers. But as with most things in life, moderation is key.

Remember to listen to your body and be mindful of how coffee affects you. If you have any concerns, especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions, it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor. Now, as we enjoy our third espresso of the day, here are some links to the information I researched for this article if you want to dive even deeper than I did.

NOTES:

1. A cup of coffee for a brain long life - PMC - PubMed Central ↩︎
2. Coffee for the Brain | Office for Science and Society – McGill University ↩︎
3. Brain Brew: How Daily Coffee Habits May Affect Brain Plasticity and Learning – Neuroscience News ↩︎
4. Does Coffee Benefit the Brain? – Healthline ↩︎
5. Caffeine in Your Blood May Affect Body Fat And Diabetes Risk, Study Reveals : ScienceAlert ↩︎
6. Caffeine: Does it affect blood sugar? – Mayo Clinic ↩︎
7. Type 2 Diabetes and Caffeine: The Truth about Blood Sugar – WebMD ↩︎
8. Diabetes and caffeine: Pros and cons of drinking coffee – MedicalNewsToday ↩︎
9. Coffee lowers risk of heart problems... (CNN News) - Behind the headlines - NLM - NCBI ↩︎
10. How coffee helps lower type 2 diabetes risk: New clues on mechanism – MedicalNewsToday ↩︎
11. Moderate coffee and caffeine consumption is associated with lower risk of developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, new study finds – ScienceDaily ↩︎
12. Drinking 2 or more cups of coffee daily may double the risk of heart death in people with severe hypertension – American Heart Association ↩︎
13. Pour Yourself A Second Cup: Research Shows Coffee Provides Health Benefits – Texas A&M ↩︎
14. 9 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science – Healthline ↩︎